Decisions
by blazedveggies556
Summary: After so many encounters with death, it's nice to just grab some dinner with a friend, then continue on with your journey to reach the end. But... what if you're enjoying the journey more than the end?


**Author's Note: I have something to say about my future stories, but it's a little long, so if you're interested, continue to read after the conclusion of this story. Enjoy!**

The orange dirt pathway snakes north under the unrelenting heat of Hotland, only broken by the cool blue stones marking the entrance to the MTT Resort. To its left stands a familiar comedian with that recognizable smile. The air from the AC bellowing out from the double doors does not bother him in the slightest, his eyelids slowly opening and closing the only movement he makes. He seems to stare off into space with nothing of interest to catch his attention, until a brown-haired figure pops their head into view. His grin grows a little bigger.

"right on time," he remarks. He watches as the figure takes the shape of a human child with a striped shirt and an unassuming face. They pass up the note to their right and walk up directly to Sans the skeleton.

"hey," he greets them with his usual lazy drawl. "i heard you're going to the core." He throws his thumb over his shoulder and nods to the hotel. "how about grabbing some dinner with me first?" Without hesitation, the child nods. "great, thanks for treating me," he jokes. The child gives a light chuckle with a smile, and he winks back in response.

He saunters over to the left of the building and motions the child to follow him. "over here. i know a shortcut." He strolls through a small alleyway with the human following close behind, and in an instant, a table draped in lavender cloth stands between the child and the skeleton, their faces illuminated by a single candle at the table's center, a faint imprint of a fork and knife on the skeleton's side. Piano music plays quietly in the background.

"well, here we are," Sans says. The child's eyes wander a bit around the room, then finally settle on Sans. They give him a friendly grin. "so," Sans starts again, "your journey's almost over, huh?" The child's grin fades. They lower their head, hiding their eyes from Sans' view, and nod slowly. Sans eyes the child. He rests his arm on the table and leans a little closer to the human. "you must really wanna go home. hey. i know the feeling, buddo." Sans rubs the back of is skull, his pupils shifting to the side. "though… maybe sometimes it's better to take what's given to you. down here you already got food, drink, friends…" His eyes return to look at the child. "is what you have to do… really worth it?"

The child's head lowers further. They give no response. After a moment, Sans turns his face away to the side. He closes his eyes. He seems contemplative.

…

A sigh escapes through his teeth. "ah, forget it." He turns back to the child, his smile still in place. "i'm rootin' for ya…" His voice trails off at the sight of the human. They tremble, their teeth clenched, small wrinkles etching on the corners of the child's eyes as they shut them tight.

"… kid? you all right? you gotta use it, or…?" He eyes the child as their silent distress continues, then he scratches his cheekbone and looks away. "guess this whole situation's hitting you harder than i thought. but, hey. must be tough walking around being the stuff of monsters' nightmares, heh."

His attention returns to the human. "you've proven to be much more than that, though. a lot of the monsters have taken a shine to you. not too hard since we got a lot of fine folks here, but… it hasn't been easy either, i'm sure."

The child still shakes. Sans seems to notice this.

…

Another moment goes by with no exchange of words, until Sans speaks again. "… i'm not one to stick my nose in other people's business," he winks as he taps the side of his nasal bridge, "but, uh, like i was sort of saying earlier, you seem like the kind of person who just needs… i dunno. some good food, some bad laughs, some nice friends… it's what you got right here."

Time seems to slow to a halt. The music drops to a quiet lull. Sans speaks again, his voice crisp and clear. "So… maybe the end of your journey is closer than you thought. No one forced you to take on this heavy burden. No one would blame you if you dropped it right here. Ultimately, the choice is in you ha––"

A small gurgle erupts from the child's throat. Their trembling seems to have intensified, the tablecloth taut on their side as they grab onto it. Perhaps for security. "Y… y… y… es…" they manage to utter. Sans' eyes widen as the child continues their attempt to speak. "Y… yes… I… I… want t-to… stay." Their body instantly relaxes, and they give a heavy sigh. Sans' pupils flit up and down as he looks at the child. "Is that your decision?" he asks. The child lifts up their head to look directly at the skeleton. They give a soft smile and nod once. Sans turns his face away, slowly bobbing his head. "… okay… if that's your decision… i support you 100%."

After a few moments of silence, Sans loudly yawns and stretches. "welp, no reason to hang out here all day. all this going out is making me tired, heh heh." Sans starts to leave the table. He looks over his shoulder at the human who is still standing on the other side. He waves them over. "c'mon, buddy. let's head back home." The child raises their eyebrows. "Back… h-home…?" they inquire, tilting their head. "yep, 'back home'. to me and my bro's place. that's where you're staying. that is if you, uh, don't mind the cold, the worrisome spontaneity of a homeless fish lady, and the occasional dog howl in the middle of the night. place has got a lot of charm to it otherwise."

The child lightly kicks the ground with the ball of one foot, keeping their gaze on the floor. Their body sways a bit, until they finally seem to accept his offer as they jog over to Sans. He gives them a thumbs up. "cool. let's head out this way. i know a shortcut."

**Author's Note: Hope you enjoyed the story! It's one of my shorter pieces (though it took me longer to write than I'd like to admit), but I wanted to get something out there since I haven't posted anything in a while. I actually wasn't planning on releasing this story. I had another one-shot in mind, but I had writer's block for that one and decided to come back to it later and work on this one instead.**

**Anyways, just wanted to say thank you for the feedback I've been getting on my previous work. I read all of your comments and make sure to reply to express my gratitude. I wish I could respond to the guests here on Fanfiction, but unfortunately, I can't, but just know that I read them and appreciate you guys taking the time to comment on my work.**

**Also, I'm still taking ideas for my Unexpected Encounter: Do Not Reset. Again, it's not a guarantee that they'll be fleshed out in the story, but I take all ideas into consideration. I'm still working on the next chapter for it, but I certainly haven't abandoned it, so stay tuned for that!**

**Another thing: I got a comment months earlier asking if I would continue a story (A Simple Chat). Typically, I don't continue my one chapter stories because they're just one-shots- ideas I loved writing out, but don't really have any bigger plans for. But, hey, if you think a story should be continued, let me know! Chances are, I've been thinking the same thing (such was the situation with Unexpected Encounter).**

**Also, check up on my profile every so often for updates. It's a little easier to remember what I said when the updates are in one place rather than scattered between postings.**

**TL;DR: Keep those comments coming! I read and appreciate every single one of them. I'm still working on stories, it'll just take some time. :)**


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